12/31/2013 02:12:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

Matt Smith (The Eleventh Doctor) and Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) are both heading down under for a special tour around the country next March. The Hub Productions' Whoniverse: The Doctor is in event will see them live on stage talking about the phenomenon of Doctor Who and their lives as the Doctor and his companion. There will also be merchandise as well as rare collectibles available to purchase from dealers. Limited autographs and professional photographs will be available with the guests. The tour dates are as follows:

Additional guests as well as venues and ticket info will be announced mid-January from the Hub's website.

Other Australian appearances include Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), who will be touring with Oz Comic-Con in Adelaide and Perth throughout March and April 2014. Tickets can be purchased from the Official Oz Comic-Con site.

Also travelling to Australia and New Zealand is Fifth Doctor Peter Davison to host the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular.

12/29/2013 04:08:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

During the run-up to the Christmas Day broadcast of The Time of The Doctor, a number of interviews were conducted with Orla Brady and Jenna Coleman on radio and television, and are still available for catch-up. In addition, there were a number of other programmes related to Doctor Who, which are summarised below.

BBC iPlayer radio programmes are normally available to listen to worldwide; however television programmes are restricted to the United Kingdom only.

Interviews:

Loose Ends, BBC Radio 4 Extra, 21 Dec 2013 at 6:15pm
Clive Anderson takes off in the Tardis with actress Orla Brady, who's starring in the Christmas episode of Doctor Who. Orbiting a quiet backwater planet, the massed forces of the universe's deadliest species gather, drawn to a mysterious message that echoes out to the stars - and amongst them, the Doctor. 'Doctor Who - The Time Of The Doctor' is on Christmas Day at 19.30 on BBC One.

Colin Paterson presenting. Jenna Coleman is a familiar presence on our screens over Christmas, with starring roles in both Doctor Who - as the Doctor's companion Clara Oswald - and Death Comes to Pemberley, adapted from the PD James novel. She explains why it's such a wrench to be saying farewell to her co-star Matt Smith, as she looks forward to working with the newest Doctor in the persona of Peter Capaldi.

David Tennant talks about his roles in the two most highly anticipated television events of 2013 - the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special and the final episode of Broadchurch. He discusses which accent he decided on for his roles in The Escape Artist, the Politician's Husband and to play Shakespeare's Richard II on stage.

Also on the Radio:

The TARDIS in Teesside, BBC Radio Tees, 26 Dec 2013 at Midday

For over fifty years now, Doctor Who has inspired, influenced and delighted generations of fans around the world. A lifelong devotee himself, BBC Tees presenter Bob Fischer set out to investigate how the show has shaped the lives of fans in the BBC Tees area… from the grizzled veterans who watched the first episode back in 1963 (the day after The Beatles played at the Globe Theatre in Stockton), to 2013’s generation of school-age fans, tentatively awaiting Peter Capaldi’s debut.

He also looks at literal examples of the TARDIS arriving on Teesside, remembering the official BBC exhibition that materialised in Middlesbrough Town Hall in 1973, Tom Baker’s visit to the Binns department store in 1976, and the arrival of the legendary Dimensions convention in Stockton’s Swallow Hotel in 2002. On the way, he uncovers terrifying tales of Daleks in the playground, Cybermen in the school corridors, and… erm, Weetabix down the toilet. And also meets Teesside actor Mark Benton, who took time out of his busy schedule to share his memories of appearing alongside Christopher Eccleston in show’s triumphant 21st century reinvention.

Marking 50 years of Doctor Who, Paul Hayes explores a variety of Norfolk people's links to the programme or their reasons for loving the show. Featuring interviews with Brian Hodgson, creator of the TARDIS sounds and the Dalek voices back in 1963; Davros actor Terry Molloy; scriptwriter David Fisher; Doctor Who Mastermind winner Karen Davies; designer Spencer Chapman (who worked on 1964's The Dalek Invasion of Earth, pictured above); Cyberman actor Graham Cole; former child actress Barbara Harper; university lecturer Keith Johnston, and a variety of Norfolk-based fans of the series with stories to tell about just why they love the show, and what Doctor Who means to them.

On Saturday November 23rd 1963, BBC TV broadcast the very first episode of Doctor Who. Fifty years later, the series is the most successful drama on television. In this special documentary, Radio 2 examines the reasons for its longevity and popularity. Featuring new interviews with the cast and crew of the series, the programme looks at the lasting appeal of Doctor Who and asks how much of its continued success can be attributed to its basic formula. With archive clips, and the music of Doctor Who composer Murray Gold, Who Is The Doctor? includes interviews with: Doctors; Sylvester McCoy, David Tennant, Christopher Eccleston and Matt Smith, companions; Louise Jameson, Billie Piper, Jenna Coleman and the late Elisabeth Sladen, and show-runners Russell T Davies, Philip Hinchcliffe and Steven Moffat. The programme also considers the character of the Time Lord, across all of his regenerations, and it revisits the origins of the series with Waris Hussein, director of the debut Doctor Who story An Unearthly Child. Who Is The Doctor? also examines how the franchise survived when the show was off TV, considers the impact of the revival in 2005 and assesses the value of the series to the BBC. Other contributors include, TV executives Jane Tranter, Lorraine Heggessey, Faith Penhale and Julie Gardner, historian Dick Fiddy, composers Murray Gold and Mark Ayres, conductor Ben Foster, writers Terrance Dicks, Mark Gatiss, Justin Richards and Gary Russell, journalist Tom Spilsbury, production designer Michael Pickwoad, and actor Nicholas Briggs. Presented by Russell Tovey Written and produced by Malcolm Prince.

A Tale of Two Jamies: Diana Gabaldon is a romance writer with a legion of admiring fans. Her hero, Jamie Fraser, is a swashbuckling Scot who has captured her readers' hearts. Actor Frazer Hines is a former Doctor Who assistant. His character, Jamie McCrimmon, played an unlikely part in inspiring Gabaldon to write her bestselling Outlander novels. Frazer meets Diana and her fans to learn more about the phenomenon he unwittinginly helped create, exploring Scottish history, time travel and the meaning of true love along the way.

12/29/2013 03:28:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

Amidst the anticipation and build up leading to The Time of the Doctor this week, San Diego-based comic book publisher IDW quietly bid farewell to the Eleventh Doctor in its 2013 Special, released Christmas Eve.

The Doctor Who 2013 Special, titled The Girl Who Loved Doctor Who, features the Eleventh Doctor slipping into a universe not unlike our own -- a universe where the Doctor exists as a television show and is played by an actor named Matt Smith -- and where a threat from the Doctor's own universe threatens the existence of this one.

The 2013 Special is written by long time Doctor Who television, novel, and comics scribe Paul Cornell with art by Jimmy Broxton. It features several nods to recent changes in the production status of the television series, and a theme that longtime Cornell readers will find familiar.

The issue features 40 color pages of original story/art and an additional eight color pages featuring every cover of the IDW Doctor Who comic series -- from its starting miniseries "Agent Provocateur" in 2008 up to and including the last issue of IDW's 50th anniversary series, "Prisoners of Time."

The 2013 Special is the final Doctor Who issue by IDW under its license with the BBC. Of this closing chapter of the Doctor in IDW's comics, Chris Ryall, IDW's Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief, writes,

...thank you [readers] and retailers on both shores for trusting this American upstart to handle your beloved 50-year-old Time Lord; thanks to the BBC for giving us this shot in the first place, and a final note of gratitude to all the creators who made for such companions along the way.

The Doctor Who 2013 Special retails for $7.99 and is available at comic stores now.

12/28/2013 09:39:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

Doctors:

John Hurt has been voted joint first in the annual Beard of the Year Awards, alongside choirmaster Gareth Malone and England rugby player Geoff Parling. The trio came top of the poll from the Beard Liberation Front, which attracted over 10000 votes. [Telegraph, 28 Dec 2013]

David Tennant commented that he currently doesn't know whether he'll be involved in the second series of Chris Chibnall's Broadchurch: "We don’t know where the characters are going. We don’t know the story he is telling. Some people say they know they are in it. I am not sure they do, though. I think some might get a shock. I was dying of a heart attack, so I don’t know how able Alec Hardy will be to do any more crimefighting, so we will have to see."[Radio 4, via Mirror, 28 Dec 2013]

Speaking of which, a Radio Times poll saw critics name Tennant's show the best TV show of 2013. Tim Glandfield, RadiotTimes.com editor, said: "The death of event TV has been greatly exaggerated. Broadchurch drew the nation into a collective hysteria every Monday night for eight weeks, as who killed Danny Latimer became the talking point in the press, pubs, front rooms and factories up and down the country. A brilliant piece of homegrown drama with an exquisite cast of actors, Broadchurch is a fantastic example of British TV at its very best.". [Radio Times, 27 Dec 2013]

Peter Capaldi has been put forward as a candidate for the position of Rector at the University of Glasgow, though the actor himself has yet to agree to run for election. A petition was started by politics student Fiona Duncan, who said: "I’m trying to show that there is a demand from the student body for him to stand before contacting him. It would be great to have someone from the arts representing Glasgow students."[Times Higher Education, 25 Dec 2013]

Peter Cushing is considered the number one thespian from Kent, according to a county news source. Correspondent Chris Britcher observed: "He lived for much of his life in Whitstable, moving there in 1959, in a seafront home he shared with his wife. A popular figure about the town, he would love to sit and paint the view along the beach. Cushing’s View today marks the spot he so adored, while the town’s museum has a permanent section devoted to him.". The "alternative" Doctor is not alone, however, with Tom Baker also listed at number eight: "He remains, for a whole generation, their favourite Doctor Who – and is destined to be synonymous with the character at the very height of its fame. Mr Baker lived for many years in Boughton Monchelsea, near Maidstone, and now resides in Tunbridge Wells. He is a familiar sight in and around the town."[Kent News, 24 Dec 2013]

Writers:

Neil Gaiman has been named the winner of the 2013 Book of the Year Award, with his book The Ocean At The End Of The Lane winning the public vote in the National Book Awards. The writer commented: "I've never written a book before that was so close to my own heart: a story about memory and magic and the fear and danger of being a child. I wasn't sure that anyone else would like it. "I'm amazed and thrilled that so many other people have read it, loved it, and made their friends read it too."[Radio Times, 28 Dec 2013]

A new publication in the Time Trips series of e-books, The Death Pit is now out, and its setting of Arbroath in Scotland has attracted local interest. Dundee-born author Alison Kennedy said: "I know Arbroath a bit. I lived there for a few months and in Carnoustie for about a year. It just seemed a suitable place. I wanted it to be in a small town." Writing for the fourth Doctor, she said: "I was a fan of the series as a child, and I am now. When it’s at its best it hasn’t changed - it’s very resilient. It was a very happy editorial experience."[Evening Telegraph, The Courier, 28 Dec 2013]

12/28/2013 06:34:00 pm -
Reported by
Melad Moshiri

The 800th episode in the show's run attracted 2.47 million viewers overnight, the highest ever audience achieved on the channel, beating The Day of the Doctor's record of 2.4 million viewers.

It was however beaten by showings of The Big Bang Theory (3.96m) and Duck Dynasty (2.69m), all broadcast in a 9:00pm slot on cable.

The Farewell to Matt Smith special, broadcast before the incumbent's final adventure however, drew in a respectable audience of 1.54 million.

In the UK, Time was the second most watched on Christmas Day while becoming the eighth highest rated show of the day in Australia.

On Twitter, 183,550 tweets were generated, becoming the most tweeted show of the day on the social network and beating previous Christmas special The Snowmen's 64,049 total. Peter Capaldi's entrance, meanwhile, brought in 18,844 tweets.

12/28/2013 05:15:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

In the second of our features on special moments in Doctor Who we head back to 1963, and a familiar menace is about to be revealed in all its glory ...

Last weekend saw the celebration of the first appearance of a Dalek at the end of The Dead Planet; however, as much as a "sucker arm" menacing Barbara would set the audience up in anticipation, it did little to prepare them for the full 'horror' to come!

The appearance of the Dalek was originally devised by Raymond Cusick based on the descriptions given by writer Terry Nation, with history attributing their appearance to being inspired by a visit to the Georgian National Ballet - the long-flowing skirts of the dancers giving the impression of them gliding across the stage. Once the design was settled, the physical props were then realised by Shawcraft (Engineering) Ltd, a look that has served them with minimal modification since.

Little did the production team know that what they were about to introduce would become one of the most memorable icons in British culture, with a National Trust survey in 2008 indicating that nine out of ten children were able to identify them! Their immediate success has led to spin-off films, stage plays, and almost their own series, not to mention the multitude of appearances in Doctor Who itself - culminating in their integral part in "the fall of the Eleventh" just this week in The Time of The Doctor!

However, for today's Moment in Time we look back to this very time fifty years ago, to when the Doctor and the viewing public would first encounter the most enduring foe in Doctor Who ...

The Doctor, Ian and Susan have made their way into the city, and have just discovered instruments reporting that the planet is radioactive, explaining why the travellers have been feeling tired and ill. However, they cannot leave until they find Barbara, but as they emerge from the room back into the corridor they find themselves confronted by strange, menacing metallic creatures... the Daleks!

12/28/2013 01:09:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

The Appreciation Index is a measure of how much the audience enjoyed the episode. The score of 83 puts the programme in the good category, even though it is one of the lowest scores of the Matt Smith era.

Highest scorers of the day included Call the Midwife and Mrs Brown's Boys, both of which scored 87.

The BBC Three repeat had an audience of 0.35 million viewers, a share of 1.5% of the total TV audience. The repeat had an AI score of 84.

12/27/2013 11:53:00 am -
Reported by
Adam Kirk

The Time of the Doctor averaged 686,000 viewers in the five major Australian capital cities. It won its timeslot (beating the T20 Big Bash Cricket), was the highest rating drama of the day and the eighth highest rating program of the day overall. These ratings do not include regional or time-shifted viewers.

12/27/2013 10:51:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

Here are a selection of excerpts from reviews published by the international press as The Time of The Doctor made its way around the world yesterday.

The most powerful moments in The Time Of The Doctor didn't involve a stand-off against intergalactic bullies and mad despots - they involved the Doctor reflecting on his time, and slowly giving in to the ravages of age. In this vein, Smith managed to wring genuine emotion out of his final on-screen appearance, but also nailed the quieter moments: the shutdown of a disembodied cyber-head is also the loss of a trusted friend.

(It) is a celebration of the recent past, and a dedication to the Eleventh Doctor, and his time in the Tardis. Time marches on for everybody, even Doctor Who, and everything eventually ends. While there is comfort in the fact that the story goes on, the Eleventh Doctor's time is over. It might have been silly sometimes, and the time-travel shenanigans often got overly complicated, but it was another fine chapter in the lives and times of Doctor Who. The next one is about to begin, but there is plenty of fun and emotion in the Eleventh's chapter that is worth celebrating.

I shed a tear in the knowledge that possibly the best Doctor the show has seen in its half century is no more. Smith had the ability to persuade his audience that he was, indeed, a millennium old man in a very young man's body. Well, on Boxing Day night on Prime, he discarded that body like a favourite suit too worn and raggedy to patch anymore. RIP 11. We are already missing you.

Smith is at his glorious best in this special, with plenty of reminders of why he might just be the best Doctor yet. Scrub that, he is the best yet and I'm going to miss his portrayal terribly.

The episode is ripe with writer/producer Steven Moffat's leitmotifs: messages sent across space and time, gatherings of The Doctor's rivals, small towns and sheriff badges. And some of the show's classic tropes: broken technology, the TARDIS telephone and lots of lovely one-liners. The risk, of course, is that the episode is so laden with in-universe references and nods to past episodes, moments, characters and aliens than it becomes almost impossible to navigate for someone without even a cursory knowledge of Doctor Who lore.

This is a pensive finish, but not gut-wrenching in the way that Davies wrote previous Doctor David Tennant's farewell. This is gentler, with only a cameo from his beloved Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) who says goodbye to her "raggedy man". Even Smith's lovely scene with old-school Fourth Doctor Tim Baker in the anniversary special was richer, and more touching. (And tearful, for Baker-era fans anyway.)

But salvation comes in the form of a gift, once promised (but never delivered) by the Time Lords to The Master in the 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors: a new life cycle of twelve regenerations. Which means that Peter Capaldi's Doctor becomes not the Twelfth Doctor, as previously thought, but the First Doctor, beginning a new chapter of life for the universe's most beloved Time Lord. And the comfortable assurance that his hope, his strength and, best of all, his eccentric madness, remains a light which will never be extinguished.

Even though the date of Smith's leaving and the identity of his successor, Peter Capaldi, had been known for some time, watching the episode knowing it was Smith's last kept at least one American viewer anxious and sad, with a finger on the pause button for when things got too heavy. Possibly there are still viewers, avid viewers even, who have never quite cottoned to him — Tennant continues to cast a long shadow — but I have loved his work. Elegant and heartfelt, authoritative and playful, swashbuckling and intimate, alien and familiar, Smith's acting has accommodated and, as it were, humanized every oddball, paradoxical, high-concept, low-humor passage Moffat has thrown at him.

It was always going to be so when facing the long-standing question of regeneration limits. Precedent for more regenerations being granted had been established before, and Steven Moffat led just about enough crumbs to the key moment to deal with the issue, without dwelling too much on it. Job done, whether you like the way it was done or not.

The Time Of The Doctor, then, brought the curtain down on what has to be classed as a successful 50th anniversary year for Doctor Who, that's had its bumps, but also given us some absolute treats. The Time Of The Doctor in itself is unlikely to go down as one of the Who highlights of 2013 in truth. We quite enjoyed it, but it still felt a bit underwhelming. Still, Smith's performance as the Doctor is undoubtedly one of the year's highlights, and it's very clear that the show is going to miss him a lot. What's also clear is that there are further exciting times ahead.

12/26/2013 09:44:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

Big Finish are running a number of special offers over the twelve days of Christmas as part of the festive celebrations, selected from a many of their range of series.

Today's offering is the The Butcher of Brisbane, a Fifth Doctor tale that acts as a "prequel" to The Talons of Weng-Chiang, and is available to download from the Big Finish website at a special price for the next couple of days.

The Butcher of BrisbaneStarring Peter Davison as The Doctor, Janet Fielding as Tegan, Mark Strickson as Turlough, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and Angus Wright as Magnus Greel

Adopting the alias of Weng-Chiang, the 51st century war criminal Magnus Greel will one day arrive in Victorian London by Time Cabinet – only to meet his doom, his plans undone by the Time Lord known as the Doctor.

The Doctor never believed he'd meet Greel again. But when a TARDIS trip to companion Tegan's home town goes wrong, the Doctor ends up in the younger Greel's heyday – in a world on the brink of all-out war.

With the Doctor at the mercy of Greel's alien associate Findecker and his army of mutations, Tegan is about to learn just why they called Greel 'The Butcher of Brisbane'...

12/26/2013 09:59:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

Doctor Who was the second highest rated show of the day, achieving an audience share of 30.7% of the total available TV audience. It won its time slot, beating the old enemy Coronation Street which had 7.9 million watching. If +1 figures are included, Coronation Street rose to 8.27 million viewers, but still couldn't overtake Doctor Who.

Top for the day was the comedy Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas Special, which had 9.4 million viewers and a 35.5% share. However, when taking into account specific time slots rather than show averages, Doctor Who achieved the highest overall viewing figure of the day with 10.2m (37%) tuning in to see the regeneration.

The Doctor Who episode scored slightly higher than last year's episode, The Snowmen, which had 7.59 million overnight viewers and came fifth in the list.

The BBC Two afternoon repeat of An Adventure in Space and Time had 0.5 million viewers while the Doctor Who Prom had 0.6 million watching.

12/26/2013 09:55:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

The following is a collection of excerpts from media reviews of last night's episode The Time of The Doctor. Full reviews can be found via each article's credit. As usual, please be aware that by their very nature they may contain spoilers and so should you should not read on unless you are happy about potential revelations!

The lead writer achieves many things in this 2013 Christmas special: tying up straggly ends from Matt’s era – why the Tardis exploded in 2010, why Silence must fall, the big question that must never be answered… Points that most viewers have long since forgotten. The attentive fan is being serviced here.

Lots of ticks for advancing the legend of our hero and giving him a new lease of life. You can’t blame Moffat for taking on the responsibility – and allowing himself the honour in this golden anniversary year – of dealing with the “12 regenerations only” issue, which has dogged Doctor Who since it was established in The Deadly Assassin (1977). The future looks assured.

So farewell, fair Doctor! After 44 episodes spread across four years, magnificent Matt Smith discards his bowtie and lets it drop, poignantly, to the floor of the Tardis. And – after a rather protracted regeneration – in pounces Peter Capaldi. Gaunt, lizard-like and with frou-frou hair. Was anyone else put in mind of Doctor Pretorius from Bride of Frankenstein? I doubt Capaldi will portray his Doctor as a venomous dowager (unlike Ernest Thesiger in that 1935 black comedy) but I live in hope of a degree of archness.

let’s not forget Smith: he gave a cracking final performance before bowing out. He even managed to convincingly portray a wizened old Doctor. While David Tennant’s departure from the role of the Doctor was drenched in saccharine, self-referential sentimentality, there was very little of that in Smith’s final adventure. There were little nods to the 11th Doctor’s adventures and even a surprise guest appearance from Karen Gillan, who played his companion Amy Pond, but the nostalgia was reserved for Christmas.

Overall, as Doctor Who Christmas specials go, The Time of the Doctor was a sci-fi spectacular: there was time travel, spaceships and plenty of villains for the Doctor to face, including Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels.

While some aspects of the story may have been lost on the casual viewer, it was nevertheless an adventure the whole family could enjoy.

Smith has been so good as the ageless, sinister, childlike, loveable alien that it was almost a shame to see that expressive Easter Island head caked in make-up for the middle section of this episode, while the swelling strings and Shakespearian speechifying of the final quarter-hour seemed comically at odds with the intricate lunacy that animates his best performances.

But there were some genuinely funny gags, Peter Capaldi looks promisingly demented in the role, Orla Brady was truly superb as a sexy spacefaring nun and the whole thing went off with as much of a bang for Smith as it could plausibly have done. I remain confused on a main plot point — if the return of the Time Lords would have started a war, why does no one bat an eyelid when the Doctor slaughters a planetful of Daleks with golden energy? But no doubt that, like so much else, has already been pitchforked laughingly into Later.

It was perhaps the most Christmassy Christmas special they've ever pulled off. I'm sure Doctor Who has thrilled me more in the past. It's certainly blindsided me more. And it may well have made me cry more, although it feels difficult to imagine such a moment right now. But I'm certain it's never managed to do all three so successfully at once. Merry Christmas. I hope we can all be there for each other at this difficult time.

The new (twelfth? First?) Doctor's arrival was quick and explosive. We didn't even get a changing-faces scene, which felt like an appropriate tease. But dear lord, he certainly looks like he's going to be angry. Should we wonder whether this new First Doctor is going to be based on the other First Doctor? Or are they doing a new, and hopefully better, version of the Sixth Doctor's violent, unstable regeneration?

This year's thoughtful Doctor Who managed to combine an 800th episode with a regeneration, then tied it all up with a Christmas Day bow. For his final episode, the BBC really got their money's worth out of Matt Smith, who carried much of the Time of the Doctor alone, and it was a neat trick to show the youngest ever Doctor getting old. Steven Moffat ticked all necessary boxes here: he answered the regeneration question (though it made little sense to this non-devotee) and gave incoming timelord Peter Capaldi a suitably sizable entrance: "Do you happen to know how you fly this thing?"

Easily the highlight of this year’s Christmas viewing, The Time of the Doctor not only gave Matt Smith a great send off but also gave viewers a careful, concise and emotional hour of top-quality entertainment. And as is typical for Who, renewal and regeneration are only the start of a brand new adventure, and from his brief introduction (“Kidneys!”) Peter Capaldi looks like a fine successor to take the world’s favourite TV hero in a different and equally exciting direction.

"The Time of the Doctor" was, if I'm being honest, kind of a let down as Matt Smith's final episode. It felt like it dragged a bit in the middle, and I never really cared about the town of Christmas or the Doctor being its savior for several hundred years. To be fair, I've been building this episode up in my mind for months, and it had to follow the well-received "The Day of the Doctor." It would have been nearly impossible for the episode to live up to expectations. There were aspects that I enjoyed however. The truth field was a nice touch, because the Doctor has never been a truthful man. He's skated by on lies and half-truths and being the smartest person in the room, so it was interesting to watch him simply have to stay quiet after several seasons of being a wound-up chatterbox.

Matt Smith's Doctor will forever be remembered for his eccentricities, for successfully filling the very large shoes of David Tennant, for his inability to talk without flapping his arms about, and for his love of fish fingers and custard, bowties and fezzes. But the most important aspect of his tenure was his relationship with Amy Pond, the first face Eleven ever encountered, and it's unfortunate that Smith's swan song was nearly devoid of any real emotion until the final few moments when she returned to say good night as he regenerated into Capaldi's Doctor.

12/25/2013 10:30:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

A number of new videos have been published by the BBC for The Time of The Doctor: the first is another in the series of Strax Field Reports - this time talking about the Doctor's regeneration; two are short behind-the-scenes features, one with Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman chatting about the episode and the other with Michael Pickwoad on creating Christmas; and finally a festive greeting from actor Jack Hollington (aka Barnable).

Note: videos can contain spoilers and you should only watch them when you've either seen The Time of The Doctor, or are not worried about potential revelations!

12/25/2013 05:53:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

The first in a new series of features taking a look at special moments throughout the fifty years of Doctor Who.

Tonight we will settle down at 7:30pm to watch the ninth in what has now firmly been established as a British tradition - Doctor Who on Christmas Day. It is now almost inconceivable that the series should not take pride of place in the festive television schedule, but back in the 20th Century this was to occur only once in Doctor Who's first 26 years.

By December 1965, viewers were following the latest adventure with the Doctor and his companion Steven; the previous weeks had seen the pair once again embroiled in Dalek intrigues, losing two friends in Katarina and Bret Vyon in the process, but then gaining a new in Sara Kingdom. The TARDIS travellers have narrowly escaped from the clutches of the Daleks and their ally Mavic Chen on Kembel, and find themselves arriving a planet with a poisonous atmosphere ...

Conceived as a light diversion to the epic events surrounding it, the Christmas Day episode, The Feast of Steven stepped away from the main plot with the Daleks, instead seeing the Doctor, Steven and Sara dealing with local police station in smoggy Liverpool (originally planned as a cameo for another popular 1960s show Z-Cars), then later arriving in 1920s Hollywood and becoming involved in the ensuing madcap antics alongside "Keystone Cops", "Charlie Chaplin" and Arabian movie-makers. However, we select our first memorable Moment in Time from the closing moments of the episode where the show breaks "the fourth wall" for the only time in the show's history as the TARDIS crew toast Christmas Day:

Doctor: Here we are.
Steven: What's this?
Doctor: Well, we so rarely get a chance to celebrate. But this time we must.
Sara: Celebrate?
Doctor: Yes. It's Christmas. Don't you remember? The police station. Christmas.
Steven: So it was, yes.
Doctor: Here's a toast. A Happy Christmas to all of us.
Sara: Oh.
Steven: Same to you, Doctor, Sara.
Doctor: Incidentally, a happy Christmas, to all of you at home!

The episode itself was never considered for international viewing (with The Daleks' Master Plan marketed as an eleven parter), and BBC records indicated that as such it was never tele-recorded - meaning that this episode also has the unfortunate distinction of being the only one that has no possibility of being recovered. Fortunately, the soundtrack does exist, so we are still able to at least enjoy the sound of that first Christmas adventure ...

12/25/2013 09:30:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

It's Christmas Day, and for most bookies bets are now closed on which show will make the top of the (overnight) charts today. Unlike previous years, the positions have hardly changed over the last fortnight or so, with Doctor Who remaining their fourth favourite to win overall at 21/1; Eastenders remains the firm favourite throughout with odds reaching 1/10, though Mrs Browns's Boys and Coronation Street have traded places, with the BBC comedy now second at 8/1 and the long-running ITV soap at 17/1.

The winning programme will be the one that achieves the highest BARBovernight rating.

12/25/2013 12:51:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

She forces him to take a trip to 21st century Liverpool to break the news to Hex's beloved nan and, to pay tribute to Thomas Hector Schofield, the pair seek out his family and friends to tell them of his adventures. They're helped by Private Sally Morgan, who has her own peace to find.

The Doctor, Ace and Sally must each face the fallout of the loss of their friend - to commemorate him, remember him, and finally to move on. But can they do it together, or will their attempts drive them apart?

Producer David Richardson says:

It’s the end of one era, and the beginning of another as the Doctor must face the consequences of his own actions, and mourn a fallen friend. I think, in this story, Sylvester McCoy delivers his best performance at Big Finish - in fact,it’s one of THE very best performances I’ve ever heard at Big Finish. So delicate, and powerful and memorable… it will break your heart.

The TARDIS materialises on a dying world circling a dying sun, where the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are welcomed to Sanctuary - an entire monastery carved out of a mountain.

But little here is quite what it seems.

Quadrigger Stoyn has waited through the centuries. And it is time for the Doctor to pay for his first terrible mistake.

David Richardson says:

The second in the Stoyn Trilogy, which tells the story of an abandoned Time Lord from key points in the Doctor’s lives. This time we are directly before The War Games, as the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find Stoyn on a dying world. With Frazer playing both the Doctor and Jamie, and with Wendy Padbury and Terry Molloy with him, this feels very much like an authentic story from the late 1960s.

High atop Mount McKerry sits the observatory. For years now it's been watching the skies. Now something's watching back. Something dark and huge that blots out the stars. Something with giant wings. Something that kills.

When the TARDIS is struck mid-flight, the Doctor and Leela crash-land on the mountain to find they are not the only aliens to be visiting. Beings of nothing infest the complex, staff members are dead or mad. As the survivors argue amongst themselves and attempt to take advantage of the situation, a creature vast and terrible is coming ever closer.

A creature called... Stormcrow.

David Richardson says:

We asked writer Marc Platt to give us a scary story and that’s precisely what he did, as the Doctor and Leela arrive at a remote observatory that has discovered a creature that appears in the early hours of the morning. Gothic and doom-laden, this is one to listen to with the lights off.

"This is a warning. Your aggression cannot go unchecked. The West must disarm. We will make you disarm."

When an assassination follows the first demonstration of a deadly new weapon, it appears that an alien race has fired the opening salvo in a new war – a war… for peace.

But is that truly their intent? The Doctor is unsure. The answer lies deep in the heart of a distant country. A place where a man might be a hero or a traitor. Where a man has to face the menace… of the Mega.

David Richardson says:

The end of The Lost Stories, which has been close to my heart for four years. The Mega is our sole Third Doctor outing, as Katy Manning and Richard Franklin tell a story full of action, suspense… and hideous alien monsters that would have been made with CSO. Earthbound 1970s Who revisited!

In addition, subscribers to the main range will also received the bonus story below:

There is some evil in all of us – even the Doctor. Transported aboard the Time Lords' orbiting courtroom, the Doctor once again encounters the Valeyard, an amalgamation of the darker sides of his nature. This time, however, the Doctor isn't in the dock. This time, the Valeyard is the defendant, accused of a crime so terrible that the presiding Inquisitor is forbidden to reveal it even to the court, nor even to his counsel for the defence… the Doctor.

If the Valeyard is found guilty, he'll be executed. Execute the Valeyard, and the secret of his origins dies with him. A secret that the Doctor is desperate to know… and which the Time Lords will stop at nothing to protect.

David Richardson says:

This one plays almost like part 15 of The Trial of the Time Lord, as the Sixth Doctor is reunited with the Valeyard and the Inquisitor in the Time Lord courtroom, to unravel some mysteries of the Valeyard’s existence. This one is a very contained drama that allows Colin Baker, Lynda Bellingham and Michael Jayston to fly - and it was wonderful to see them back together again.

12/24/2013 01:40:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

Doctor Who News, in association with Big Finish Productions, is offering three signed script fronts from recent Big Finish releases, to the person who can most accurately guess the BBC One ratings for the UK premiere of The Time of the Doctor

The aim is to guess the final consolidated viewing figure, as reported by BARB to the nearest 10,000 viewers (i.e. two decimal places). This figure includes all those watching the episode within a week of broadcast, but does not include those watching on iPlayer.

The Time of the Doctor is being broadcast in the UK on Christmas Day at 7.30pm, later than recent Christmas Doctor Who episodes.

Previous Ratings:

For comparison, the ratings for the previous Christmas Day episodes are as follows: The Snowmen (9.87m), The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe (10.77m), A Christmas Carol (12.11m), The End Of Time: Part One (12.04m), The Next Doctor (13.10m), Voyage of the Damned (13.31m), The Runaway Bride (9.30m), The Christmas Invasion (9.84m), The Feast of Steven (7.90m).

Teased was The Time of the Doctor Christmas special, which executive producer Steven Moffat described as Matt Smith's "finest ever performance as the Doctor and possibly the finest performance ever by a Doctor". Moffat also talked of a world without Doctor Who (also available as a separate YouTube video).

Set over the course of three days from November 22nd to the 24th at the Excel, the event saw fans from around the world and stars from the show attending the celebration in honour of the show as part of its anniversary weekend.

The wicked sorcerer Abanazer tries to get his hands on the fabled magic lamp and rule the world. Only the bravery of Aladdin can stop him - if his silly brother Wishee Washee doesn't mess everything up first!

This year's production stars the ever-popular Colin Baker (Dr Who, I'm a Celebrity) as Abanazer, Derek Moran from Milkshake as Wishee Washee, and, back by popular demand, Ian Good as Widow Twankey. Join them and the rest of the cast on a magic carpet ride of adventure. With superb sets, colourful costumes, great song and dance routines and plenty of comedy, this traditional pantomime is one for all the family to enjoy.

John Barrowman (Jack)Dick McWhittington, Glasgow SECC14 December - 5 January

John Barrowman returns to the SECC as Dick accompanied by The Krankies as Councillor Krankie and Jimmy Krankie in this year's spectacular pantomime adventure, Dick McWhittington.

With spectacular special effects, amazing 3D sequences, stunning costumes and lots of audience participation this magical family show will be everything you would expect from Glasgow’s biggest pantomime.

Following her triumphant return to London’s West End, Surrey-born singer, dancer, actress and entertainer Bonnie Langford will star as Fairy Snow, leading a truly fabulous cast in this year’s magical family pantomime, Cinderella.

Bonnie is joined on stage by one of the country’s top performers; the inimitable Kit Hesketh-Harvey as an Ugly Sister. Kit’s sister in crime is none other than Surrey and Hampshire’s favourite breakfast show host, Eagle Radio’s Peter Gordon.

12/21/2013 03:11:00 pm -
Reported by
John Bowman

Fifty years ago today on Doctor Who the companion Barbara Wright - as played by Jacqueline Hill - became the first of the TARDIS crew to encounter a Dalek, in the cliffhanger to the episode The Dead Planet.

At the time, only Barbara saw it in full and she didn't know that it was a Dalek either. The 6.9 million TV viewers could only see a plunger - as wielded by assistant floor manager Michael Ferguson - advancing menacingly on her, but this tantalising glimpse of an unknown alien horror, coupled with Barbara's piercing scream and sheer terror at what she had encountered, became an iconic moment in the programme.

The following episode would see the full introduction of the creatures that would become an instant hit with audiences and make the show a genuine talking-point, propelling it to international success and guaranteeing its longevity.

What a brilliant idea! The Doctor goes back in time to avert the creation of the Daleks . . . What a marvellous pitch for a story! At the time I saw Genesis of the Daleks I thought this is the best Doctor Who story ever done, I really did then . . . This is a different standard from everything that was around it. I loved what was around it, but this was better. Terry Nation not only has the cheek to invent the Daleks, he invents Davros as well – the best humanoid-ish villain Doctor Who's ever had. Brilliant dialogue from both Terry Nation and I know with a little help from Robert Holmes too. It was a different story that one. That one stood out as something, something else.

Following the popularity of our An Unearthly Series feature that marked the 50th anniversaries of milestone events leading up to the broadcast of the show's first episode, Doctor Who Newswill be celebrating significant moments in time relating to the series after its début on 23rd November 1963.

12/20/2013 10:04:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

The future of Doctor Who on audio was revealed today as BBC Worldwideannounced a new partnership with Random House Audio to maintain the range alongside some 3,500 other titles including BBC Radio Comedy shows and drama such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The company will have sole responsibility for sales, stock management and distribution of BBC-branded physical CDs in the UK and the rest of the world (excluding North America, Australia and New Zealand). It will also take on global responsibility for download sales with leading digital retailers, including Audible.

From next year, the company is also expected to produce new releases developed and co-published alongside BBC Worldwide.

Nicholas Brett, Director of Publishing, BBC Worldwide UK, said:

Our principal aim has been to ensure an uninterrupted flow of the BBC’s brilliant spoken word content both on high streets around the world and through downloads. And we’re delighted that this new partnership with Random House Audio will do that.

Hannah Telfer, Director, Digital Marketing and New Product Development at Random House, said:

At Random House we have long admired the BBC’s audio programme, sharing their passion for publishing the highest quality content. We’re very pleased to be working together to grow the BBC list and are committed to reaching the largest possible audience for their titles.

The continuing availability of Doctor Who on audio had been in question since AudioGo entered administration in November.

12/20/2013 05:20:00 pm -
Reported by
John Bowman

Details have been revealed for the DVD and Blu-ray releases of The Time of the Doctor - with Region 2 getting a two-disc set comprising all the Eleventh Doctor's Christmas specials as well as extra content from this year's offering, which sees Matt Smith bow out as the Doctor.

To be released on Monday 20th January as a box set and entitled The Time of the Doctor + Other Eleventh Doctor Christmas Specials, the Region 2 contents will be as follows:

Farewell to Matt Smith - Narrated by Alex Kingston, this compelling special looks back at Matt's extraordinary tenure as the Eleventh Doctor, featuring highlights from the show and copious interview footage with Matt, his cast mates, writers, producers, guest stars, and celebrity Doctor Who fans.

Tales from the TARDIS - A look back at the full, 50-year history of Doctor Who. Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith and past Doctors David Tennant, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker, Peter Davison, and Tom Baker tell what it was like to be the Doctor, how they got the job, and how it changed their lives. With companion actors Jenna Coleman, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill and more, this special offers a unique insight into the world's longest-running sci-fi series.

The one-disc Region 1 DVD/Blu-ray of The Time of the Doctor will be released on Tuesday 4th March, comprising this year's Christmas episode and the extras Behind the Scenes of The Time of the Doctor, Farewell to Matt Smith, and Tales from the TARDIS. None of the previous Christmas episodes will be included.